A Reclusive Heart, Marie's Helpful Song?
by yuni30
Summary: Marie is finding it hard to celebrate Christmas, due to her staying with a scientist who hardly celebrates it at all. Will she be able to bring him out of his shell to see why it's enjoyed by many? Read to find out.


As time went on, it seemed Marie's Christmas spirit waned even more. She was still taking shelter in Stein's laboratory, but it was now hard for her to imagine life without living there. She was sitting on the couch, reading a romance novel, sipping tea, while Stein was typing away at his computer.

"Stein... do you ever feel, at this time of year, that you're missing something? Something important," she queried. It had been a question that was nagging at her for years now. Usually, she had no one to ask it too, nor found the time to ask. The clicking of the keyboard stopped and Stein seemed to lift his head from it's position, for it had been more towards the screen than anything else. He spun around in his office chair with a look of confusion. "What do you mean," he seemed to ask out of curiosity. Marie merely raised an eye brow at the scientist. Even _he _knew that it was the holiday season.

"Oh... that... Nope. I don't celebrate a religion. I base my beliefs in phasmology and every other non religious science in the world," he complied as he spun back to his work. "Oh...," Marie said in a down cast manner. She stared into her tea for what seemed to be forever. Then she stood up with that same depressed look on her face. "I'll be in my room, Stein," she informed as she set down the cold tea. Stein glanced over his shoulder. "Alright, Marie. Sweet dreams," he commented with optimism in his voice.

"And I, you, Stein," she replied. She walked out of the room and through the kitchen until she reached her room. It was one of the few rooms in the building with a window. She stood at it and peered up at the always grinning moon, then at the Christmas lights in Death City. She sighed. How could she convince Stein that there was more to Christmas than just religion? To her, it was only about being with those you loved, those you hold close to your heart. "Why... He doesn't have to commit to a religion to celebrate the holidays... I mean... it's Christmas... A time of happiness and joy! And the more I stay here...," she whispered. "The more I lose the same joy I had last year, and the year before...," she finished, barely audible to the human ear.

"Maybe...," she began. "I'll sing a song. I shouldn't be like this on Christmas Eve. I should be happy," she concluded. She racked her mind for a song. Her song selection would have been a lot more cheerful had she been in a brighter mood, but it was a holiday song, never the less, and the only one she knew by heart. "Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you? Why have you gone away? Where is the laughter you used to bring me? Why can't I hear music play," she started off in a whisper, heightening her tone a little.

"My world is changing, I'm rearranging, does that mean Christmas changes too," she continued to sing, intriguing another being in the house. Stein was at his computer, calculating and researching data for more experiments and what not. A noise from somewhere in the lab caught his attention. For a while, he ignored it, figuring it was his robotic mouse he'd made years ago squeaking. But it wasn't, and the sound was more even and pure than that of the mechanical creature. It intrigued him to the point of getting out of his chair and following the note, like a mouse to the pied piper's flute.

"Where are you Christmas? Do you remember the one you used to know? I'm not the same one, see what the time's done. Is that why you have let me go," Marie finished, unaware that another person was in the room now. There were still more verses of the song, but she still felt down. In fact, she didn't feel like finishing at all. "Marie, that was _you_ singing," came an astonished and familiar voice. Marie spun around, only to meet a pair of olive green eyes trapped behind a pair of circular glasses. "Stein? I didn't hear you come in," she muttered in response.

"I didn't want to interupt you. The way you were singing was quite marvelous," the patched up scientist complimented with a smirk. Marie smiled warmly, happy to hear such a pleasing compliment. "Now if only someone like you could sing it with me," she commented, asking him a hidden favor. Stein seemed to tense up at the notion, and his facial expression seemed uneasy. "Really, Marie... Christmas songs aren't my specia-," he began to complain. "None of that, Stein. It's a song, and I want you to sing it with me. Maybe it'll help you," she stubbornly enforced.

Stein sighed. "Alright, Marie. But only because you asked," he accepted bluntly. But, as they started to sing, Stein found it almost natural that he knew this song, yet he never sung it before. He came to the conclusion, that it was because he was singing with Marie, the only person who he allowed to have a special place in his heart. Or it was possibly the fact that their souls knew the song better then both of them thought. "Christmas is here, everywhere, oh! Christmas is here, if you care, oh! If there is love in your heart and your mind, You will feel like Christmas all the time," they both sung in harmony.

Little did they know, their souls were resonating higher with each note, the song giving them power. But they kept singing, ignoring it for the time being at let the song carry them away. Stein started off in a medium pitch, grasping Marie's hand and looking into her eyes, "I feel you, Christmas, I know I've found you, You never fade away." Marie started off next, "The joy of Christmas stays here in silence." Then at last, they blended their voices together, "Fills each and every heart with love!"

Finally the song began to end, and they began to lower their voices, almost in a whisper. "Where are you Christmas? Fill your heart with love," they ended. Marie hugged Stein suddenly, and the madman tensed, but soon relaxed. He wasn't a hugging type of person, but for Marie, he could make an exception. "Thank you, Stein. You just made the holiday more bearable for me," she commented happily. Stein wrapped his arms around Marie's back, with a fond smile- a very _rare_ fond smile- on his face.

To Marie's surprise, Stein pulled her closer. "I should be thanking you, Marie. You opened my eyes. This holiday, though to most people is a religious one can also be expressed as a day for being with people you care about so well. You've just taught me that," he admitted. Marie smiled at this. She'd opened up the reclusive scientist's heart just a little more. And all it took was a song.

**Author's Note: Hi all! This is late... blah, blah, blah... but with the whole preparing for Christmas, and between my aunt kidnapping me to go to the movies then forcing me to lift ceramic molds and all that crap, I couldn't get this out here until the day after Christmas! And in some countries it's probably already two days LATE! **

**Aaaaaanyway! Aside from that, I hope you liked this little bit of mush. I give credit to the maker of Soul Eater, Faith Hill, and also a friend of mine on DA, AskDoctorStein. AskDoctorStein kind of inspired this with one of their journals... ^_^; **

**This is the crazy, insane, random writer known as Yuni, wishing everyone a fabulous New Year! Yuni, out! -.^y ~Yuni~ **


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